NOTE: If you haven't listened to part 1 of this interview, you can do so at this link.

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with veteran live performance coach Diane Kimbrough! Here are some of the topics we discussed this time:

Why Diane's approach is to practice the arena level show instead of the coffee-house show, and how that can benefit the smaller venue performance, too.

Training artists to work with a camera.

How being present with venue size changes how you perform live.

The circumstances for which a veteran stage performer needs to come back in for some live performance coaching.

Some of the worst things you can do on stage.

Mapping out talking points on stage.

How Acro Yoga helps Diane with her live performance coaching. How it benefits both artists and teachers of artists to keep learning and trying things we've never done before.

Why and how artists should watch awards shows.

How the mistaken belief that the audience is feeling what you're feeling can diminish your performance.

How and why to articulate clearly and use punctuation in performance.

Why it's important for best performance to understand and take on the responsibility of your unique artistic position on stage.

How important it is for an artist to work with a team that supports each member, and communicates to resolve any seeming differences so the artist is never confused.

About Diane Kimbrough:

As an actress, dancer, and choreographer, Diane’s career has taken her to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East where she has directed and choreographed live shows for companies including IBM, Kawasaki, NCR, Chevrolet, Texaco, and Suzuki. She herself has appeared on stage & television with an array of stars from Garth Brooks to the L.A. Dodgers.

Her work has appeared on every major television network. She has staged a wide array of events from ABC’s “Monday Night Football” promo to “The All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade” for CBS. Diane is a veteran of eight seasons of the CMAs (Country Music Association Awards), staging such knockout numbers as Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochie”, Brad Paisley’s “Online” and Shania Twain’s “I’m Outta Here” and “Any Man of Mine”.

Managers and record labels, including Arista, Atlantic, Capitol, Columbia, Epic, Mercury, RCA and Sony as well as a host of indie labels, have hired Diane to coach their emerging artists as well as top-selling stars. Her clients include solo artists, vocal groups and bands of any genre. Diane’s philosophy… “Create an experience and you’ve created a fan.”

As a performer, you are not just a disembodied voice. The rest of you, along with where & how you move the rest of you, can help or sabotage your performance impact - even on your recordings where they can't see you. Today I'm interviewing my friend and frequent collaborator Diane Kimbrough for some master ninja stage tips, so click the audio link here and listen up to PART ONE!

Some of the topics we discussed:

Diane's background & experience

Explanation of what live performance coaching is.

How Diane uses her dance and acting experience in her coaching.

Defining stage presence.

How Diane and I work synergistically to increase stage and vocal abilities.

The value of getting live performance coaching before recording final studio vocals.

How both of us work on focusing message delivery.

Why a veteran artist would need some updated performance coaching.

Diane's coaching strategy of videotaping performance and playing it back without sound.

A vital understanding Diane wants artists to get out of her coaching sessions: The song itself - the structure of the music and the lyrics - should largely dictate stage movement. How that goes with my vocal training.

How to figure out who your voice needs to represent in any song.

Diane and I discuss and solve our disparate ways of approaching and coaching authenticity. We discuss what is and is not 'real', how to use acting techniques to make the moment real for the audience even when it's not real for you.

Why you don't need to freak out at the thought of acting.

Case study about an artist we both successfully worked with who had a serious eating disorder and issues with 'feeling' emotion.

Case study about another of our artists who we helped go from serious insecurity to up & coming artist catching serious career fire.

Diane says it's best to have some stage experience before booking coaching sessions.

Ways Diane asks clients to practice what they learn from her. Written homework is assigned, along with continual videotaping and silent viewing to review how audiences see you.

The importance of separating singing and stage movement practice. Why you should put your guitar down and try singing without it.

How that same strategy - separate practice - is a wise way to practice vocal technique.

Diane and I bat around the concept of singing to the one heart. We use different words for the same thing... Diane calls it having a conversation on a melodic line.

PLEASE NOTE: There was so much we shared I decided to split the interview. This is Part 1. Watch for Part 2 to be published in a few days!

About Diane Kimbrough:

As an actress, dancer, and choreographer, Diane’s career has taken her to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East where she has directed and choreographed live shows for companies including IBM, Kawasaki, NCR, Chevrolet, Texaco, and Suzuki. She herself has appeared on stage & television with an array of stars from Garth Brooks to the L.A. Dodgers.

Her work has appeared on every major television network. She has staged a wide array of events from ABC’s “Monday Night Football” promo to “The All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade” for CBS. Diane is a veteran of eight seasons of the CMAs (Country Music Association Awards), staging such knockout numbers as Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochie”, Brad Paisley’s “Online” and Shania Twain’s “I’m Outta Here” and “Any Man of Mine”.

Managers and record labels, including Arista, Atlantic, Capitol, Columbia, Epic, Mercury, RCA and Sony as well as a host of indie labels, have hired Diane to coach their emerging artists as well as top-selling stars. Her clients include solo artists, vocal groups and bands of any genre. Diane’s philosophy… “Create an experience and you’ve created a fan.”